I Like Movies, a coming-of-age dramedy set in the early-2000s, alternates between the double life of 17-year-old Burlington native Lawrence Kweller (Isiah Lehtinen): an outspoken high school senior and an obsessive film buff at his local video store, Sequels Video, who is simply trying to fit in. Lawrence is an opinionated know-it-all under both roofs, but he feels more in his element at Sequels and is elated when they finally hire him on as an…
It’s been over a decade since being first exposed to Canadian cult hit Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter and Lee Demarbre’s wholesome filmmaking for mature audiences. Underneath its goofy and ambitious premise about our lord and saviour socking it to some blood-suckers was an infectious love for filmmaking and community. It’s main concern other than entertaining audiences was having fun with friends behind-the-scenes. And while that rallying doesn’t always work for all indies, it benefited Demarbre’s…
By: Jolie Featherstone Unplugging is a good-natured movie about a married couple trying to divorce themselves from their electronic devices during a country holiday getaway.
By: Jeff Ching Walking into Cocaine Bear, I was expecting the movie to be the latest inductee to the “so bad, it’s good” list. Something along the lines of Snakes on a Plane or the Sharknado franchise: movies that are not good, but fun to laugh at. Cocaine Bear, however, is not “so bad, it’s good” – it’s “so good, it’s umm….…the best movie of 2023 so far”. Look, it’s only late February, and I don’t expect…
When You Finish Saving the World is about human connectivity and how big personalities are interpreted through alternative perspectives. It checks out that these elements are featured in Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut, an Oscar nominated performer who seems to be attracted to these themes when reflecting on his previous work.
You People takes audiences through not one but two story formulas – the fish-out-of-water culture clash that could occur between two separate parties, and the road towards a wedding. While this could be seen as a crutch for the filmmakers, this whip-smart comedy becomes the exception. Much like how Hustle exhibited last year, You People reminds us that routine storytelling can be forgiven if the film excels in other areas. You People is funny –…
The marketing campaign for Bros was based around its groundbreaking elements, reminding viewers that the LGBTQ+ cast on screen were out and proud and that everyone involved was working on telling an honest romance from the queer perspective. It’s also, reportedly, the first widely released rom-com of its ilk. That’s great and I’m elated for the production but, at the end of the day, what’s the word on the movie itself?
As much as I’m a sucker for anything Jackass related, I’m compelled by the slew of strange copycats that followed the success of the stunt-and-prank franchise. Call it a guilty pleasure, I suppose, but it taps into a time that felt dangerous and outrageous, and the behaviour was often deemed as “just a phase” and otherwise ignored (despite the constant warnings and disclaimers slapped on to Jackass by MTV and Paramount Pictures). If independent third-parties…
By: Jolie Featherstone This is Santa like you’ve never seen him before. Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night is a bloody action flick blended with some heart-warming Christmas cheer. But yeah, lots of blood.
By: Jeff Ching Knives Out was a surprise hit. But while it was a fun murder mystery, it wasn’t particularly memorable for me, nor was I clamouring for a sequel. When I read that Netflix had spent $450 million on two sequels, I could not justify why they would spend that much…though I also asked why they would spend $200 million on The Gray Man. After watching Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, I believe the…